Old fire towers at risk of being forgotten

North Carolina’s lookout towers once stood watch over our mountain forests. Now, they run the risk of becoming forgotten monuments to the value of our wild lands.

Peter Barr, who has hiked to every fire tower in North Carolina, will present a program, “Blaze Watch,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at The Village Green Commons in Cashiers. Barr will share with participants some of the features of still-standing fire towers, as well as the importance of restoring them, including the well-known tower at nearby Yellow Mountain.

He will also lead a hike to the Yellow Mountain tower on Aug. 30. Although technology has deemed lookout towers obsolete for spotting fires, the structures still provide excellent, and sometimes panoramic, views of the landscape.

The Village Nature Series is a free monthly community event that highlights distinctive features of the area and partners with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust.

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